Secrets Of The Dark City
by AlphaNumerics
Summary: AU. Perona has always had a passion for learning about the supernatural. Robin, despite her rough life, has always had a passion for history. Together they hunt ghosts and learn about the supernatural, revealing secrets about the dark city they live in.


Thriller Bark was a place where those with the finest taste in wine, darkest sense of humor, and most eccentric style of dress seemed to congregate. A huge, booming metropolis where the light never touched, it smelled of fresh pumpkins, rotting flesh, and expensive perfume. The streets seemed to be paved with cobwebs, crater-sized cockroaches and rats, and spilled booze. Ladies roamed the streets in dark, velvety lolita dresses, while the gentlemen wore frilly silk tops, long, tight dusty slacks, and shoes that somehow managed to shine despite gloomy climate.

In the centre of Thriller Bark was the mayor's palace. A massive violet mansion, surrounded by stone gates, guarded beefy knights who seemed almost inhuman as they lined the exterior of the palace. Lastly, there was a deep moat that snaked around the palace, stuffed with fat crocodiles, who peeked their slimy eyes through the mossy waters occasionally. Needless to say, the security was pretty tight. Sir Gecko Moria, a portly man, with porcelain-white skin and fuchsia colored sideburns, was the mayor of the city. He had teenaged daughter, Gecko Perona, a thin pale girl, her hair contained ribbon-like hot pink ringlets, garbed in the stereotypical lolita outfit the women of Thriller Bark seemed to be addicted to.

Mayor Gecko hosted a regal dinner party in celebration of his re-election. He'd invited over his younger brother, Absalom, and his old friend, Dr. Hogback, who'd seemed to drag in his odd wife Cindry. A plump roasted eel stuffed with dot-sized cherries sat in the middle of the lengthy cherry table, and Moria, unsurprisingly, dropped his usual civil mayorly manner as he shoved chunks of eel into his wide mouth.

"So, mmf, how's life been treating you, Ab?" Gecko managed to spit out in between bites.

"Terrible," Absalom moaned "I _still _haven't gotten married. I just don't understand it! I approached this fine lady once and..well I don't want to spoil your celebration with my depressing tal-"

"It's fine, Ab! You're girl-chasing tales are always hilarious, believe it or not."

Absalom growled. "It's not funny! But if you insist, I'll tell you.."

Dr. Hogback interrupted "Nah, nah. Moria tells me about you all the time. You'll get your tears and snot all over my food!"

Absalom eyed the cockroach scuttering across the table. "You live in the dark city, mucus is the last thing you should be worried about digesting!" he snapped.

"C'mon you two, don't start brawling," Gecko choked out, sending pieces of eels everywhere, including Hogback's plate. Hogback eyes seemed glued to his plate in disgust. Absalom muttered small mantras and sealed his eyes shut, while his face became steaming hot red in anger.

Cindry looked over at her husband. "Will it make you feel better if I destroyed that horrid plate for you, dear?" she said sweetly.

"Dammit, Cindry, don't start that weird shit about plates again," Dr. Hogback snapped. Cindry ignored him and look over to Perona, who had been busy scribbling in her thick fluffy pink journal, covered in sparkles and purple rhinestones.

"Why, sweetie, you haven't touched your food at all," Cindry said with a deep look of concern on her face. "Is it because of that plate? Shall I destroy it for you?"

"_Cindry!_"

Moria looked over at his daughter angrily."Perona, what have I told you about bringing your books to the table, especially around guests?" he said sternly.

Perona kept her eyes in her journal."You all were arguing and being annoying, so I took out my journal," she huffed "You always tell me that I need to do constructive stuff, so that's what I decided to do."

"I'm not going to argue with you"

Perona paused and set her journal aside.

"Thank you. Now, Ab, how ab-"

"You're the worst!" Perona wailed, tears streaming down her eyes. She threw her journal on the ground and ran out of the dining hall. She paused, sprinted back into the dining hall and snatched her journal off the floor and ran back out. "Don't follow me!"

Moria's face burned with anger.

"You want us to leave, Moria?" Hogback asked

"No, no. I'll handle her later." He mumbled. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

In Thriller Bark, a cemetery was not only a place where loved ones where buried. It was a community center of some sort. Birthday parties, weddings, or any general get-together was generally held at a cemetery.

Perona, surprisingly, was able to find a uninhibited cemetery. She jumped over the rusty gates, tripping as she did, landing face-first into in the dirt.

"Not cute!" she cried.

She wiped the dirt off her face and her precious red and maroon colored lolita dress, lifted up her stockings and proceeded to stroll around the cemetery, journal in hand and eyes wide open for any unusual movements.

"Now this is home!" She shouted, maybe a little too loud as she quickly covered her mouth in regret. "_I hope I didn't scare away any ghosts_" she thought.

Ghosts were Perona's obsession. She'd loved the idea of them every since she was little. After befriending the ghost who haunted the mayor's palace, Kumacy (not after he repeatedly tried to murder her), she would listen to his fascinating stories of the ghost world. He told her the history behind famous ghosts, and his own stories, too. She doodled and sketched how she envisioned the ghosts, hoping one day she'd be able to feel the presence of those ghosts, too. Even if they tried to kill her.

She had a natural talent in sensing the presence of the undead, or she wouldn't have sensed Kumacy in the first place. However, it was different in cemeteries. Dozens of ghosts could be located in a single cemetery, so she had to be as alert as possible. However, it looked like her shout ruined any possibility of sensing any ghosts.

Suddenly, she heard a the sounds of leaves crackling. She froze.

"_Could it b-" _her thoughts were interrupted as she realized a tall, skinny figure had began making her way towards her. "_Aw, shit. That must be that doctor's wife or something!_"

As the figure began to advance, she realized it wasn't anyone she knew at all. It was a tan woman, who looked about her age, with long black hair tied up into a pony tail, dressed in plain black dress and fishnet stockings.

"Are you getting ready to have one of those stupid rowdy parties, miss?" She asked sharply.

"H-huh? N-"

"Good. Whatever you're doing, could you please keep it down? I'm resting."

"In a _cemetery!?_"

"Yes, are you sheltered? This is my home."

Perona perked up. "_Could she be interested in ghosts!?"_

_"_So..." she bit her lips, slightly embarrassed for askng her this. "T-this is your home? Do you mean it figuratively, I-I mean, are you interested in the supernatural?"

The woman gave her an irritated look.

"No, the only thing I'm interested is history. I just rest he-"

"History!" Perona shrieked in pleasure "You mean you like learning like dead people!? That's just like ghosts! You like ghosts!"

"I like history, not whatever fiction you seemed to be obsessed with,"

Perona was overwhelmed with excitement.

"No, no, no! I-It's not fiction! You see, I like history too! Ghost hunting has everything to do with history! The only difference is, in ghost hunting, you're not just learning about historical figures, you're contacting them, too!"

The woman angrily marched away from Perona, ignoring her pleas.

"Name me a historical figure from Thriller Bark! Do it!" Perona cried out.

The woman kept on walking.

"I'm telling you I can help you out with your studies! C'mon!"

She froze, turned around, and stared at Perona for a minute, face red with anger. "Do you think history is some sort of ghost-hunting fantasy? I don't need a sheltered rich person like you to drag me into your delusions. All I want to do is study history. It's my friend, my lover, my passion. You've done nothing but disrespect the lives of those who made this world what it is today. Go away!" The woman blindly threw a patch of dirt at Perona's dress.

Perona paused for second, uncertain of how to respond. She lowered her head, "Roronoa Zoro. A hero swordsman, born October 6, 1882. Modernized swordmanship, he trained hundreds of clients to become valiant warriors. He lost his right arm, and his left leg in battle and training. As his passion and skills towards swordsmanship increased, however, his mental health deteriorated. He began having visions, seeing his old childhood friend, Kuina, hearing her voice whenever he fought, telling him to murder his clients..."

The tan woman stared at Perona. Perona paused, and continued. "Sir Brook, the dark city's most infamous musician. You know the story. When his successful career halted by his hallucinations, stating he saw whales and felt skeleton bones dragging him towards the depths of hell. He felt as if he was a walking ghost. He buried himself alive, before saying that Satan must be alive in this city. Nico Olvia, famous histor.."

"I know who she is, she believed that their stories, t-that somehow, the history of Thriller Bark is deeply rooted in the supernatural. B-but it's unproven. A theory, fiction." The woman was visibly shaken, trembling. Perona looked into her eyes.

"There's someone I want you to meet, his name is Kumacy. You don't believe in ghosts, I know. But still, I want you to come over to the mayor's palace, at nine during the late day. I want you to come study history with me and Kumacy. Think about it. All of the books you'll ever need, and Kumacy is an expert when it comes to history. You don't have to accept, but think about it."

Perona waited for a reply, but received none. She smiled brightly and began making her way back to the palace. She didn't even know this woman's name, but that was irrelevant. She'd found something she'd been longing for ever since she was forced to live the sheltered life of damn-near royalty. A friend, not just a friend, but a human friend who'd help her tap into the world of the supernatural.

After going through a day filled with long lectures about how rude, spoiled, and grateful she was from Moria, it finally came the time. Perona's eyes were locked onto the long, mahogany clock that sat in corner of the palace's library. She'd set out all of the books she planned to discuss with her friend on the wide round table, with her old journals scattered about. She also had wine set out to drink with her friend, and a bowl filled with whatever snacks she could manage to steal out of the pantry before the chef noticed. Minutes felt like hours, the only thing keeping her from exploding from the excitement was Kumancy's company.

"I hope she isn't scared off by you, Kumancy.." she said dreamily.

Kumancy's presence seemed to be flipping through one of her old journals slowly. He closed the sparkly baby blue journal, and lazily replied.

"I think she'll be more scared off at how obsessed you are with her,"

Perona frowned. "_I have to come to my senses," _she thought "_She might not come at all, if I get too worked up I'll end up depressed if she doesn't show,"_

"Too late, you're already worked up," Kumacy remarked.

"Stop reading my mind! That's not cute, that's creepy"

"Well I _am_ a ghost, Miss Perona."

Suddenly, the soft, elegant sounds of a harp filled the room. Perona jumped to her feet and ran down the hall. Before she made it to the door she heard a maid call out her name.

"Perona! Is this a friend of yours?"

She began sprinting at a faster pace, almost tripping over the maid's poofy dress as she reached the door.

"Yes..._huff.._.she's a friend" she barely managed to say due to being out of breath from the sprint.

The woman, garbed in the exact same clothing she wore at the cemetery slowly made her way into the mansion, guided by Perona.

"You could've informed me about the moat.." she mumbled.

"Sorry, I thought I informed my dad that I had company scheduled."

"And the huge gates, and the _extremely _rude guards who look like they've just came back from a murder spree."

Perona became mute in embarrassment. She guided her friend down the hall into she reached the library, and motioned her friend to enter.

Her friend gazed at the library in awe. She'd been in huge libraries before, but none like this. The walls were filled with books, not a single spare, not a single window. Just books. And the library was tall, with one long ladder that was obviously unsafe for any regular person to use. The rounded ceiling had a single phrase engraved in it "_This room is history" _in golden paint. She looked over at Perona.

" That phrase, on the ceiling, are you meaning to tell me.."

" That's right! Every book in here is history related! Not a single book here is fiction, or science-related. All history. I knew you'd love it," she perked up. "Now, about this Kumacy person I'd like you to meet, I know this is awkward, but he's really shy around loud people unless he knows them well. I need you just to close your eyes and stand still,"

The woman narrowed her eyes in suspicion, "Why do I need to close my eyes?"

" It's cause he's a weirdo! Smart, but a weirdo."

The woman obeyed Perona's commands. She closed her eyes and completely froze her body for minutes. Nothing happened. Perona growled, knowing Kumacy was being a tease, as usual.

" _Stop being an ass, Kumacy,_" she thought angrily

Kumacy replied to this by remaining still for ten more minutes. Perona saw her friend's agitation grow as her blank expression slowly shifted to an irritated one. Suddenly, one of Perona's journal was thrusted into the round table, causing cherries from the bowl to fly out, and her friend to lightly speak in terror.

"I'm sorry," Kumacy said playfully "Hello, I'm Kumacy. You probably are wondering where my voice is coming from. You can't see, dear, because, well, frankly I'm a ghost."

Her friend stood frozen.

Kumacy sent a bellowing laugh. "Bashful, are you?"

She took a few minute to gain her composure.

"_So she was right. I-it's not a fantasy..but.."_

"But what?"

"_Kumacy!_ Are you reading people's thoughts again?"

"Well, if she's going to learn about ghost hunting I think it's important she learns that we can do that, you know.."

"True, tr-"

"You said I was here to learn about history." The woman interrupted.

Perona huffed. "_You'd think sensing an actual ghost would change her mind! Ugh!"_

"You are, I want to show you my journals and lend you some books. However, I want enhance your studies..." she paused realizing she hadn't even learned her new friend's name yet.

"Nico Robin. And before you even ask, yes, I'm related to Olvia. Now, how do you plan to "enhance" my studies?" Robin said calmly.

"It's all in my journals," Perona eagerly opened up her journal which was covered in damn-near illegible writing. "Kumacy's scoped out areas where he knows the ghosts of infamous historical figures haunt. We'll be able to learn history from the actual figures themselves!" She shrieked in pleasure. "Can you imagine it, Robin?"

Kumacy interrupted before Robin could reply "You'll have to learn ghost hunting, though. Those ghosts aren't just gonna let you disturb them without putting up a fight. You'll need to be willing to put your life on the line for history."

Perona bit her lips, expecting Robin to run away from the dangerous proposal. However, Robin turned to her with a blank expression.

"I'll do it, on one condition only, you let me live here in this library. Unlimited access to all of the books."

Perona jumped up and down squealing in excitement. "Yes! Of course you can stay here, Robin!"

Kumacy chimed in lazily "And how are you going to convince your father to let her stay?"

Perona stuck out her tongue. "I'll cross that bridge when I come to it, Kumacy. Right now we need to learn ghost hunting...after we eat!" She grabbed the bowl filled with snacks, cracked open her journal and began informing Robin on the basics of the world of the supernatural.

Meanwhile, outside of the library lay an invisible figure. He'd been lazily eavesdropping on the entire conversation, unable to enter due to the locked doors.

"_Well I'll be.." _he thought "_Moria's daughter is getting herself into some stupid shit."_

He'd been spying on her supernatural interests for a while, not thinking she'd actually be able to take her interests outside of the palace gates.

"_It's a shame.."_ he continued "_She's got a natural talent for sensing ghosts...she'll end up like me. I'll have to keep a watch on them in case they get into anything too stupid." _He chuckled. "_I'll be good company."_

.


End file.
